A panchayat official requests a farmer not to burn paddy stubble in East Burdwan's Baikanthapur on Monday.

Paddy stubble usually takes one-and-a-half months to decompose and farmers are not ready to wait that long.

Munshi Muklesur Rahaman

Burning paddy stubble is considered to be a fast and cheap way to prepare fields for the next crop.

However, studies have shown that this burning pollutes the air and is considered a major health hazard.

Munshi Muklesur Rahaman

Still, stubble burning is not that rampant in Bengal as it is in the country’s northern states.